WiseTech Global To Cut 2,000 Jobs As AI Drives Big Workforce Changes

The tech world doesn’t sit still for long. One year, a new tool feels optional. The next, it becomes central to how companies actually get work done. As technology gets sharper and faster, businesses have to rethink not just their products, but their people and processes too. Well, that rethink is now showing up in workforce decisions in a very tangible way, and especially in Australia.

 

TL;DR

 

• WiseTech Global is set to cut 2,000 jobs as part of an AI-led restructure.
• The changes will impact product, development, and customer service teams.
• Despite the job cuts, the company’s profits beat expectations, and shares jumped 11%.

An Australia-based software company, WiseTech Global, has announced it will cut around 2,000 jobs as part of a sweeping restructure, close to a third of its global workforce.

The reductions will roll out over the next two years as part of a broader AI-driven transformation. With around 7,000 employees spread across 40 countries, the plan will affect nearly three out of every ten roles across the company.

WiseTech, which develops shipping and logistics management software, plans to integrate AI more deeply into its customer platforms as well as its internal systems. The impact will be felt across product and development teams, along with customer service functions. In some areas, teams could be reduced by as much as half.

One division expected to see significant cuts is E2open, WiseTech’s U.S.-based cloud computing arm that it acquired in August for $2.1 billion. That unit may face workforce reductions of up to 50%.

Chief Executive Officer Zubin Appoo framed the shift as inevitable, saying "Software development has experienced its most significant shift in decades. The era of manually writing code as the core act of engineering is over."
 
The announcement came with stronger-than-expected financial results. WiseTech made $114.5 million in profit in the first half of the year, which was about 6% higher than what analysts were expecting. The company also announced it would pay a 6.8 cent interim dividend and kept its full-year forecast unchanged. Investors reacted positively, sending the stock up 11.1% to A$47.74.

Even after the rise, the share price is still far below its November 2024 peak. The stock has been under pressure due to governance concerns linked to founder and former CEO Richard White, along with ongoing uncertainty about how AI will impact the company’s future.

WiseTech’s decision highlights a broader global trend, with companies like Amazon also cutting thousands of jobs as automation and AI tools take on a growing share of everyday work.